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All the food products that the fasting people usually consume during iftar - when Muslims break their fast - have witnessed a staggering hike in prices this Ramadan amid a surge in the cost of raw materials.
Despite the soaring prices, many people thronged the Chawkbazar area, the famous iftar hub in Old Dhaka, to buy their favourite delicacies on Friday, the first day of Ramadan in Bangladesh.
Six kinds of kebab, diversified fried items like jilapi, piaju, pakora and chickpea curry; traditional 'boro baper polay khay', dohibora, halim, roasts, cheese and so on were sold at the age-old iftar market in the area.
Junayed Ali, a trader from Azimpur, went to Chawkbazar to buy mutton roast and suti kabab.
He told the FE that the price of a portion (around 250 gram) of a mutton leg jumped to Tk 500, which was Tk 320 last year.
The suti kabab was being sold at Tk 750 per kg, marking a 40 per cent hike compared to the last year, he said.
Ali said he buys iftar items from Chawkbazar four to five times each Ramadan as his family members love the traditional iftar delicacies.
Abdul Karim Jewel, a vendor at Chawkbazar, said prices of beef, mutton, chicken, egg, edible oil and spices have increased 25-60 per cent in a year, forcing them to adjust the prices of iftar items accordingly.
However, the price of the most popular delicacy 'boro baper polay khay' (mixture of cow brain, minced meat, chickpeas, potato, flattened rice, egg, chicken, spices, ghee, etc.) has been increased by only Tk 50 a kg thinking about the customers, he said.
"We are selling the item at Tk 650-700 a kg," he said.
In addition, food outlets like BFC, Star Kebab, Royal Inn, Fakruddin, Lailaty and Madchef, and other fast-food joints and restaurants in Dhanmondi and Bailey Road areas also passed a busy time on Friday afternoon.
However, the number of makeshift outlets on the footpaths in different parts of the city has declined this year due to an eviction drive conducted by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in between March 22 and 23.
Only a few shops were found open on the streets, selling chickpea curry, puffed rice, fried brinjal slice or beguni, potato chop, piyaju, pakora, kebabs and jilapi.
Gulzar Hossain, a street vendor at Sankar in West Dhanmondi, said, "I had a shop selling tea, cigarettes and snacks beside the Chhayanot Bhaban over a van, which was taken away by the police on March 22 night."
Police took away hundreds of such vans in Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur areas - many of whom usually do iftar business during Ramadan, he said.
"I haven't got back the van and the products yet; therefore, I cannot manage to make iftar items this year," he added.